The Curse of the Lantern
by SonicHooves
Summary: This was happened nearly century ago, when everypony still afraid of dark, still curious to the fresh things. On a midnight, a filly unicorn without name run into Evenfree forest and es passed by, a whole new generation was born. They visit Evenfree forest.But some of the ponies said,there is a strange, illusion-like pony with cape deep down in the Everfree forest.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was a gloomy and dark night, a lost pony wandering in the outrageously endless Everfree forest.

"Anypony here?" the lost pony asked. There is no reply but the echo of her hoof step sound.

After a long walk, the environment becomes darker, foggier and colder, she takes a deep breath, then continue walking slowly.

"Hello?" She shouted again, and her sound was echoing between the woods.

There is another eerie silent walk, she can feel her heartbeat and her breathing sound. All of a sudden, she felt something wasn't right, she felt panicked, turn back and run wildly. But also, there is nothing happened to her.

"What happen," she whispered, then continue walking slowly. After a few minutes, she saw a light source.

"Finally..." She walked through the light source, but lately she found that... it is a

glowing... illusion-like pony.

"What in Equestria is that?" She was trembling and walk back slightly.

Suddenly, the illusion like pony turns its head and stare at her. She shuddered, the chill was going down her spine. She tried to control herself, but she can't help it, she gasped and screamed loudly as she saw its eyes bleeding.

After a few seconds, the illusion like pony just disappeared just like it never happens.

She hides her head on the ground, after a few minutes, it turns out nothing again.

"I should escape from here," she said then searching the way out from the forest.

After another long walk, she found another light source, but this time she saw it floating through the air.

"What is that again?" She walked near the light source. Suddenly there is a deep, mysterious sound come from nowhere and said "take this curse away from me!"

"Who are you?" She said with a panic tone.

She saw the light source moving up. Now she clearly saw the light source, it is from a black lantern.

She stunned again when sawing a black pony grabbing the lantern.

"Who are you?" she asked the black pony. But the black pony didn't reply.

She felt cold at behind, she stepped back a little. Suddenly something was reminding her.

"Take this curse away from me!"

The mysterious sounds surround in her mind, she grabbed the lantern from the black pony's mouth.

After taking the lantern, the black pony fell down and start bleeding in his mouth, his eyes are full of blood vessels. She was quaking and feeling the real stunning horror.

"No! It can't happen!" the pony said and run toward the endless Everfree forest.

She stunned again, she can feel the strange light source from the top of the forest, she looked at the canopy, but what she saw was full of dead ponies hanging on the tree, beside them was a weird-looking creature carrying a lantern…

She felt hopeless and fear enveloped her, her heartbeat pounded and her throat constricted. She want to run away from this horror place, but her hoof can't carry her body anymore, she fell on the ground.

She can feel that there was a pony looking at her. She tried to stand up, but what she saw was the illusion like pony again.

She wants to fell down again but this time her hoof freeze. She looked at the lantern she was grabbing. "Maybe I should take it off…" she said and start taking out the lantern. but no matter how hard she took, the lantern just like seal into her mouth.

"What happen to the lantern…" she pull it hardly but it is still in her mouth. She tried to break the glass. Finally, she broke it and the lantern just fell down and hit the ground, the light source dimmed, the air become frozen.

She can feel that something tie on her neck and pull her up to the treetop. And the last sight of her was the illusion like pony…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Sir Bluestar! another corpse found in the Everfree Forest," Splashy Blaze walked into the office and said.

"let me see it," Bluestar replied and stand up from his couch while Splashy pull the corpse into the office. Bluestar take a look on the corpse, it have rift between her cheek.

"oh no, it is the curse of lantern…" Bluestar whispered.

"emm… what is that?" Splashy asked with a puzzled face.

"it is a story that everypony forget…" Bluestar replied and walk to his cupboard, taking out a very old book entitled "forgotten Urban Legends that lost through the age" written by Zecora.

"it is an urban legend? it can be fake!" Splashy take the book and flip the pages randomly.

"no way, it happen too many times…" Bluestar said and flip the book to the right page. Splashy started to read it due to curiosity.

 _ **forgotten Urban Legends that lost through the age**_

 _This was happened nearly century ago, when everypony still afraid of dark, still curious to the fresh things… in a small town called Ponyville, all the ponies was interested to their neighbours, the Everfree Forest. Although the Ponyville Press always remind that going into the Everfree Forest is strictly prohibited, but all the foals are not listening to the was successfully get into the Everfree forest, but it was a calm before a storm…_

 _there was a daring unicorn filly without name, she always want to get into the Everfree forest. As her parent, they not let her go to Everfree forest alone, it is dangerous, they don't know what is inside the forest. But not the filly, she wished to be an adventurer. it was a midnight when the forest is under the moonlit sky, the filly take her cape and her lantern , decide to escape from her run into the Everfree forest alone. unfortunately, she get lost in the Everfree forest._

 _By sunrise her parent was found that she is missing, they contact the rescue team, hoping to find their little filly, but she is not founded, not her hoofprint nor her single shadows…_

 _it become a warning sign to all the foals who used to thought of traveling into Everfree forest._

 _Time flies… ages passed by… a whole new generation was born and the story become dismiss as old tale. there was getting more and more pony begin to enter the Everfree forest and explore. But some of the ponies that getting into the Everfree forest said…_

 _there is a strange, illusion-like pony with cape deep down in the Everfree forest..._

 _Zecora_

 _page 35_

"Wow, it is... Quite creepy," splashy said after read the whole story.

"And yet, we still haven't found her," bluestar said and heading to the storeroom, it have the old report files and some case about the lantern curse.

"Look at all the files," bluestar said to investigate the files carefully, after few minutes, she take a deep gasp.

"They... They get the lantern curse! By taking the black mysterious lantern from another mysterious black pony!" Splashy said.

"How did you know it is the curse?"

"Look at their corpse, they have the same injury like having a rift on their cheek, and they have been found on the tree... Hanging?"

"Yes, but did you realise that... Actually there is no lantern beside them? Technically is it never been founded, the question is, where is the lantern?"

"It is... Really abnormal, how come it happen?"

"No one know, only the filly know what happen on that night..." Bluestar said and put all the related file back to the cupboard.

"now you can go back to do your work," Bluestar said and sit in his office chair then continue writing his report.

and then, it was a long and boring working day until night. Splashy still interested about the curse, she try to get into the Everfree forest. after a long walk, she felt chiller and chiller, and the environment become darker…

out of the blue, somepony shouted at her,

"why are you here? I told you not to do this!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was Bluestar and other two ponies following him.

"Sir Buestar! and… " Splashy gasped and said

"My name is Serenity Glow, nice to meet you," The white mare said, her body is glowing dimly under the moonlight. Splashy walk near to her when another stallion introduce himself.

"And I'm Detective Laurel," He said. He look really dark, Splashy can't clearly see him.

"You haven't reply to me, why you are here alone?" Bluestar asked her again.

"I… I was curious… about it…" She said.

"Well, now that you are here, do you want to join us to find the lantern?" Laurel said.

"Emm… maybe," splashy whispered.

"Don't be hesitate, we will help you" Serenity said and putting her hoof on Splashy's back.

"I… I would like to join you all," Splashy said and walk into them.

"Great, let's continue to find the lantern." Bluestar said.

Bluestar was standing in front to leading them, they have to walk quietly and looking around to find the lantern, or perhaps, the little daring filly.

After a long searching, they didn't found anything, they went out from the Everfree forest.

"Maybe we should went deeper for the next time," Splashy said.

"It is already too deep, we will get lost and can't get out from there." Serenity said.

"How about we separate and find it…" Splashy said while Bluestar interrupted her.

"Are you crazy?!" Bluestar said, "We all will get lost easily in this endless Everfree!"

"How about…" When Splashy said the third time, all in sudden they clearly heard some weird noise come inside the forest.

"What is that sound?" Serenity said,

"Go inside the Everfree forest! maybe we can found something!" Bluestar said and run into the forest, all of them follow him.

"The sound come from left side!" Laurel said and point to the left side.

"Wait, I can't run too fast…" as Splashy said, she crashed onto somepony.

"Help!" the pony shouted and run as fast as he can.

"Splashy! are you okay?" Serenity turn back and said.

"I crashed onto somepony… and he said help!" Splashy said.

"Quickly follow up i saw fire at there!" Bluestar said.

"Oh my celestia why forest is on fire today?"

They all finally reach the destination, the place was on fire and they can't walk near.

"Eww! what is that sticky thingy…" Splashy said.

"Oh! this place have lots of Carnauba wax," Laurel look at the sticky ground and said.

"Run! Everypony Ruun!" They heard the little colts again.

"What happen?" Bluestar asked.

"Maybe they accidently set the forest on fire?" Splashy said.

"It can't be, the ground is sticky and wet, even the leaves still hanging little dews, this place should not get on fire that easily…" Laurel said and decide to get inside.

"Hey that is dangerous…" Bluestar said.

"Aaa!" Suddenly Splashy screamed and hide herself on the ground.

"Splashy what happen?" Serenity said.

"I… I… saw… cape… red…" Splashy said with trembling tone.

"Something went wrong, let's go out from here! Quick!" Serenity said and carrying splashy then run out the forest.


End file.
